A man accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old while working as a Colorado public defender was sentenced to 10 years to life in prison by an El Paso County judge on Thursday, according to a news release by the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

Thomas Cushing, 27, pleaded not guilty to one charge he faced, but a jury found him guilty of committing the assaults in a pattern in March. His arrest affidavit alleges he met the victim twice for sexual intercourse after they met on a dating app and began messaging on Discord, according to previous Gazette reporting.

The victim allegedly told the then-26-year-old Cushing she was an 18-year-old high school student who lived with her legal guardians. He allegedly told her that he was a public defender with important and “classified work.”

One of the two encounters began with Cushing picking up the victim outside her school, Cushing’s arrest affidavit alleges.

Investigators began looking into Cushing after the victim’s father discovered the illegal activity and alerted police, according to the release.

At the time of Cushing’s arrest in November 2024, a spokesperson with the Colorado State Public Defender’s Office told The Gazette that Cushing was no longer employed with their office.

In addition to his prison sentence, Cushing was sentenced to 20 years to life on parole and will be designated a sex offender for life.